Page 79 of Villainous Rise

The car with Havoc’s insignia pulled up, and I collapsed into the backseat. My feet throbbed in protest as I kicked off my heels and let my head fall back against the headrest, eyes closed.

Sweet, blessed silence.

The tears came without warning. One moment I was fine—well, not fine, but holding it together—and the next, I was silently sobbing in the back of Havoc’s car.

I swiped quickly at the tears, willing them to stop.

Get it together, Bishop.

But I couldn’t. The weight of everything—Valor’s constant criticism, the fake smiles, the lies I kept telling myself about Cipher—it all crashed down at once, crushing my chest until I could barely breathe.

I’d spent so long being what everyone needed me to be. Havoc’s perfect Keeper. The Alliance’s cooperative pawn. Valor’s arm candy. Even with Cipher, I’d tried to be someone I wasn’t, someone who could walk away unscathed.

My reflection in the tinted window looked like a stranger. My lipstick had faded, hair falling from its careful arrangement. The perfect reflection of how I felt inside: disheveled, falling apart, barely holding the pieces together.

At least my mascara wasn’t running. Thank God I’d switched to waterproof, a necessity for when these moments hit me considering they’d been coming with greater frequency lately.

The cuff on my wrist felt heavier than usual, a constant reminder of another thing I was hiding, another part of myself I couldn’t acknowledge.

I was drowning in plain sight and nobody saw it. Nobody except Cipher, who kept throwing me lifelines I was too stubborn to grab.

Dawn had it so easy. One day she discovers her boyfriend is a League member, the next he’s on one knee with a ring. And she said yes! Just like that. No agonizing, no second-guessing, no running away.

What must it be like to forgive so completely? To have someone love you so openly that even after revealing their darkest secret, you’d still want forever with them?

Dawn hadn’t hesitated. Hadn’t run. Hadn’t pushed him away with cruel words designed to cut deep.

I stared at my reflection again, the tears making fresh tracks down my cheeks.

Hunter had lied to Dawn for months about being Menace. Yet somehow, she’d seen past the deception to the man underneath—the one who loved her enough to risk everything by telling her the truth.

I hated the jealousy I felt for their relationship.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the neon world passing by the window.

After about fifteen minutes of mental blankness following my breakdown, I realized we should have reached the Tower by now. I opened my eyes and glanced out the window at unfamiliar streets.

“Excuse me,” I called to the driver. “Where are we going?”

The driver adjusted his rearview mirror. “Taking an alternate route, Ms. Bishop.”

Something cold slithered down my spine. I reached for my phone, trying to appear casual as I attempted to message Havoc. No signal. Not even one bar.

The driver sighed. “Sorry, Ms. Bishop. Mr. Cipher has a change in your plans for the evening.”

“Son of a—” I bit off the curse. “What exactly does he have planned?”

I wasn’t afraid, just irritated. The driver was clearly one of Cipher’s henchmen, not an actual threat to me.

The driver didn’t answer, his face impassive in the rearview mirror. I slumped back against the seat and let out a breathless laugh. Havoc spent millions on security and Cipher had managed to infiltrate it and pluck me right out of the Alliance’s hands.

The knot in my stomach felt heavy with the anticipation of being at his mercy. The sickest part of me felt a profound wave of relief that he had finally taken the choice out of my hands. I wouldn’t have to be strong tonight. I just had to be his.

The car slowed, and through the tinted windows, I could see the chaotic flash of neon signs bleeding color across the wet pavement. The Neon Maze.

“What’s to keep me from running the second I get out of this car?” I asked, gathering my discarded heels.

The driver finally spoke. “Mr. Cipher will be notified immediately.”